The present disclosure is directed to articles having antimicrobial efficacy and methods of making such articles. In particular, the disclosure is directed to an article with antimicrobial properties having a silver-containing sodium, potassium or lithium silicate coating on a substrate.
Recently, the use of both metallic silver particles and silver salts have been described in the patent and technical literature as a means for imparting antimicrobial properties to a variety of materials. Silver ions interact with a wide range of molecular processes within microorganisms resulting in a range of effects from inhibition of growth and loss of infectivity to cell death (cytotoxicity).
The prevalence of “touch screens” in contemporary society gives rise to many surfaces that can harbor microbes, bacteria, and viruses, and these microbes can be transferred from person to person. Accordingly, a need exists for an article that has improved antimicrobial properties.